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Nursing Schools pose serious challenges and - considering the nature of a nursing career and Medical Training - they're really a trial-by-fire. I am involved in a nursing programme and I will graduate the LVN programme in August, 2007. I attend evening and weekend classes, to continue to do my current job as well. It's hard, tiresom, even frustrating at times - yet often magical after all. It may be quite easier if you could attend a full time school without working, but it's impossible to survive. You will miss spleed and forget to have a life for up to a couple of years.

Hands-on experience is vital to any type of Medical Training, and no training would be complete without it. My own experience and the observations I've made of fellow students proves that "book smarts" alone are not enough to be an effective doctor. Effective training simply has to include interaction with real patients. The mannequins we use to practice procedures like injections, insertion of NG tubes, catheters, and assessments are useful, but incomplete. Mannequins don't have the feel of a real body or give the feedback a real patient does (both positive and negative).

It's crucial and very much recommended for you to gather and analyze a list of Nursing Schools that you are interested in enrolling, as well as narrowing down fields of nursing you are considering. Make a note of your priorities and what you would like to accomplish. Will being a LVN be sufficient for what you're looking for? Are there other careers in nursing that you would do better in?

You have to verify if the private Nursing Schools have the accreditation you need if you want to branch into other Nursing Careers later down the road. Does that program give you an AA or BS? Does it give you a state-specific license only? What credits can be transferred to a community college or to a university if you choose to go onto a Bachelor's or Master's degree?

Another consideration is COST! Private Nursing Schools are certainly easier to get into, but they are a great deal pricier than a community college. I had to go this route because my local community college has a waiting list for the RN program out to 2011! I had to pay more to get training in a reasonable time frame.

And finally, I would like to offer one suggestion-- sign up for the tour and perhaps try out being a student for the day. Attend a class and make an effort to interact with teachers and other students in order to get a good feel of the type of environment the school offers. This will give you a good idea of what it'll be like for the next two years that you'll be attending the school. With this experience, you may even decide that it's not for you. Take note of the pace and structure of teaching and decide whether it's suited to how you learn. Also pay attention to the staff; are they helpful? Judging the environment earlier on will give you a glimpse on how satisfied you will be once you enroll.